Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Works For Me: BACKWARDS DAY!

Today is another BACKWARDS edition of Works-For-Me Wednesday. Instead of sharing one of your brilliant life tips with Bloggityville, you ask your kind readers for their suggestions in handling a specific problem.

I have an oh-so-appetizing questions for any fellow soccer moms out there.

Have any of your soccer-playing kids developed a rash under his or her shin guards? I'm guessing it's some sort of a heat rash, or possibly an athlete's-foot kind of thing, but no creams are helping it yet.

Let me just say that any ad revenue generated today will be going straight into a fund to help my son pay for the therapy he will need because his mother discussed his rashes with the Internet.

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If you'd like to play along with WFMW this week, check out the guidelines here first. Then leave your link below!

56 Comments

Alas, Shannon, my girls are gymnastics and karate ladies, no shin guards in sight. I have heard of using talcum powder for rashes, though. Maybe if you sprinkled some on the shin guards before they put them on for the game (or practice). I would think that the rashes would be moisture-related.

Hope that helps! Or that someone else will have a better idea for you.

Well, my toddler's a bit too young for shin guards, but she has had her fair share (or more) of rashes. And the one cream we can always count on to clear her up is Lotrimin AF. It's an anti-fungal cream. I have no idea if that'll help, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

Also, if it is a fungal thing, some natural oils like tea tree and lavender have anti-fungal properties, too. Not sure how you'd apply it to shins, though. (The lavender might improve the smell of the shin guards - maybe you could just dilute it in water and spray it on!)

I don't know what to do to get rid of the rash but once you figure that out you might want to get the "sleeves" that go under the shinguards, they're moisture wicking, to prevent it from happening again.

We have a friend who's child would get rashes when playing different sport games and it ended up being a staph infection. It's something you might want to get checked out because it can become serious (not to scare you either, but it's better to be safe than sorry). Let us know the results later, ok?

We once had a very persistent rash on my daughters shoulder that could not be identified. Not to mention it was quite unattractive. We tried both anti-bacterial and anti-fungal type creams and neither worked. When we tried tea tree oil, it cleared it right up. Now you probably do not want to smear pure tea tree oil on his shins, as it is quite pungent and expensive, but we had also found a tea tree oil cream that works wonders on many things. Tea tree oil is both a natural antibacterial, antifungal and some other anti things I cannot remember right now. And, it is non toxic. It has been one of our favorite fix-alls. Hope you find a good solution!
Tina

Oh yes, my son who had rashes a lot in his younger days had this rash. It's a heat rash, caused by sweat and friction from the shin guards. We solved it by both putting socks UNDER the shin guards, using a medicated powder under the socks, and wiping down the legs on breaks. The powder was the greatest help though.

To prevent: keep the straps as clean as possible. They absorb a lot of sweat. If they can't be removed, try cleaning them by hand over a big bowl of water, and remember to rinse well. Also try one of those high pressure steam cleaners, but be careful, you don't want to melt the straps if they are synthetic. Try powdering the area before putting on the helmet, or perhaps sewing easy to clean fabric to the strap where it touches the skin. Something soft, breathable and natural.

For rash treatment: plain yogurt with live active cultures is an old Amish remedy for rashes. You could have your child spread a bit on before bedtime. If you know someone who makes their own yogurt with raw milk, and made without heating (from a special culture) that would be even better, as it has live enzymes--but it's probably hard to come by.

Another thought...does anyone know if this could be candida-related? If so, that's what causes thrush, and gentian violet is a great cure for that. When my daughter got it, and the prescriptions didn't work, I used it on her tongue and on my nipples, since she was breastfeeding. Worked great. It's messy, though, and stains your skin purple for a few days. But a knee could be covered easily. Anyway, you could ask your doc about it, and try that or any other candida remedies.

My husband's cousin played pro soccer, and he says he used to put Gold Bond on his shins, then knee-high thin silk socks, the the shin guards, then the soccer socks. He's fair-haired and has sensitive skin. He also said that if it's a fungus, just get new shin guards and use an anti-fungal cream. He actually recommends Monistat. Then, keeping a layer between the skin and the guards (silk socks).

Ooh the good and the bad of reading the blogs of parents of bigger kids is that they give insight into what may lie ahead. I have no ideas for you, though. Good luck and do let us know if any of the other seemingly good ideas work out.

Hey Shannon.....Madison plays soccer and those bumps have always been heat bumps. That is what the Dr told us......just make sure while they are at home it gets plenty of air.....I hate them and Madison really hates them but it is what it is......thanks for hosting...I screwed up linking sorry....but I participated whoo hoo! Have a great day.

Hi-
Look for something with miconazole in it. If it is fungal, that should help. I am sure you clean the pads,but you might try putting what ever you use for the rash on the pads. I'd look for a spray. Sorry not a grammar snob. Hope I haven't made you twitch.

Try using a light coat of Aquaphor, then socks under the shin guards. He will probably think it has a gross consistency b/c it is like Vaseline, but it works GREAT for protecting and healing the skin! We have two in our family with these kinds of problems and this works really well for us. It is kind of expensive, but lasts you FOREVER b/c it takes very little at a time! It also works for really dry hands in the winter...just use it sparingly! I put it on at night time. Hope that helps a bit.

Everyone else has hit the most likely causes: heat rash, fungus, staph. But I've seen something rash like cause by shin guards for another reason - in-grown hairs. The rubbing of the shin guards against the legs can cut the hairs off short and lead to irritated and in-grown hairs. If you get enough it looks like a rash.
The solution is the same as for heat rash. Some Gold Bond and socks or UnderArmor under the shin pads.

My son got this too. We used Gold Bond powder under the shin guards and I cleaned them as throughly as you can clean nasty smelly old shin guards. Also I make them take off their shin guards as soon as the game is over-- rather than leaving them on while we ride around and do whatever LOL.

At least one person recommended medicated powder for prevention after the rash is cured. Corn starch is usually all you need for that. Make sure the area is dry before applying. It creates a kinda barrier, so if it is wet it will stay wet but if it is dry it will stay dry. I have put some in a shaker bottle (like for spices) to use.

My son came up with a crop of clear, raised bumps under his arms and down his sides that concerned me enough to take him to the doctor. They were human papillovirus and are quite common, she said. She recommended waiting to see if they would clear up on their own. If they didn't, we could go to a dermatologist.

After searching the internet, I used Ezekiel Oil (which is tea tree oil), and it cleared up quickly. Apply it with your fingertip, and you won't go through it so quickly.

My girls wore a pair of socks under their shin guards, then their regular soccer socks over top. Also, cornstarch powder.

I agree with some of the others--tea tree oil is fantastic.
Thanks for hosting. I also enjoyed reading about your weekend with Casting Crowns and the blogging ladies. What fun...yeah, I'm slightly envious.

Bigtime soccer mom here... 2 suggestions:
1. Did you know you can wash shinguards in the washer? I do it every week or two with Oxyclean and hot water.
2. Try Gold Bond powder. Seems to be good stuff for rashes. There are different kinds, and there may be one for feet, so I'd try that or the regular yellow container.
Hope this helps!

Ah - we had something similar with our 5 year old. Mix Desitin (the original kind) in a tub with cornstarch. Apply it under the shin guards every time. It keeps the moisture away. Then just wash the guards after the game. Hope it helps.

I would think the same as you: either a heat rash or something fungal like athlete's foot is. If creams aren't helping, I'd put my first bet on a heat rash. Your son might not go for this, but you could try put diaper rash ointment on his skin to act as a barrier cream and protect his skin from the moisture. Use a thick one like Desitin that won't sweat away. That is, if you can talk him into it. :)

Lavender essential oil is excellent for anything skin related. But you gotta get the REAL stuff not the perfumy watered-down junk that the health stores sell. Real essential oils can heal ANYTHING. I buy mine from www.youngliving.us

It's a fungal rash - and fungus loves warm wet spaces like under the shin guards. I get it between my boobs. I use lotrimin cream and it clears it up until I sweat again. The best thing is to make sure the shin guards get cleaned between uses (lysol will work for the solid parts) and to keep his skin as dry as possible while playing, the Gold Bond powder should help while preventing the fungus from growing while he plays. Good luck with therapy.

GiBee wrote EXACTLY what I was thinking - LOVE the new logo . . . was it there yesterday? Do you plan to share?

We haven't had the rash under the shin guards (yet), but all of the keep-it-dry & put a layer between ideas are just what I would do. You could also try cleaning the shin guards, as I'm sure they get pretty icky; speaking of that, I think I have one more thing to clean this afternoon - ug!

My son gets a horrific rash under his shin guards. At first we thought it was poison ivy. After practice/game it is really red, and bumpy- almost looking like sores. Have tried everything- mild steroid cream and powder. He puts a sleeve under his shin guards and powder. After a game the same part of his leg is all inflammed.It is a nightmare. He also says it gets itchy.